The Invisible Job Seeker: The Absence of Ex-Offenders in Discussions of Diversity Management

Abstract

Incarceration represents a reactive solution to long-term social problems. Inadequate housing, substandard education, limited employment, abandonment, and violence--characteristics of America's inner cities--have made interactions with the criminal justice system the rule, rather than the exception for its residents. These factors overwhelmingly contribute to the widespread imprisonment that occurs in urban areas, but also plays a significant role in the high incidences of recidivism ex offenders experience even after they return home. Approximately 95 percent (630,000) of people reenter back into society after being incarcerated and over two-thirds are likely to be rearrested within 3 years (Mears, Wang, Hay, & Bales, 2008). These individuals are mainly comprised of young men of color (prime workforce candidates) who have often acquired education and training in prison to prepare them for employment upon release (Pager, 2003; Scanlon, 2001). Despite education and skill development, ex-offenders often remain the most unemployable demographic (Pager, Western, & Suggie, 2009; Pryor & Thompkins, 2012). In spite of the rhetoric of prisoner rehabilitation, investment in reentry programs, and increased levels of monitoring and supervision, ex-offenders are still not successfully reintegrating into society (Listwan, Cullen, & Latessa, 2006; Lynch & Sabol, 2001). Therefore, this paper stands to expose the concerns of this population that is invisible in terms of workplace integration, but very visible in terms of the large number of individuals that are impacted by the stigmatization of being an ex-offender. As relates to the dominant political discourse, this article seeks to inform scholarship regarding the obstacles to reentry, as well as explicate the consequences of exclusion, and suggests ways the ex-offender population can become a part of an inclusive society. More importantly, this paper argues that the best way to mitigate recidivism among ex-offenders is through employment opportunities that will allow for them to become productive members of society. researchers advocate that diversity management has the potential to help demystify the stereotypes surrounding an ex-offender status, while also creating an environment that will allow for full integration into the workforce (Pager et al., 2009). This research is a call-to-action to promote a more productive dialogue about ex-offenders through public policy actions and administrative decisions that support a broader approach to diversity management--the inclusion of ex-offenders as a diversity population. URBAN ENVIRONMENTS AS PIPELINES FOR INCARCERATION According to the Pew Center on the States (2008) The United States incarcerates more people than any country in the world, including the far more populous nation of China (States, 2008, p. 5). United States incarcerates over 2.3 million adults, whereby 1,596,127 people are in state or federal custody, and 723,131 people are held in local jails--this equates to roughly 1 in 100 million adults under corrections supervision (States, 2008). Political discourse has often justified mass incarceration under the premise of creating safer communities by punishing wrongdoers. While rhetoric is presented for all Americans to contemplate, public policies such as the Rockefeller drug laws and three strikes legislation have excessively targeted low-income minorities from urban communities. It is estimated that 60 percent of people in prison are now racial and ethnic minorities at the behest of such policies (Project, 2010). Michelle Alexander's book New Jim Crow exposes the relationship between race and incarceration, particularly as creates a new system of discrimination, inequality, and subjugation for inner city African Americans. According to Alexander (2010) have not ended racial caste in America; we have simply redesigned it (p. 2). For example, the exponential growth of incarceration has been primarily at the expense of urban African Americans. …